ABSTRACT
THESIS: The Graduale Romanum: A Comprehensive Approach to Chant Restoration
STUDENT: Kevin Frecker
DEGREE: Master of Music
COLLEGE: Fine Arts
DATE: December 2011
PAGES: 104
The restoration of Gregorian chant throughout the nineteenth century culminated
in the publication of new official Vatican chant books, particularly the Graduale
Romanum of 1908. Major contributions were made by the monks at the abbey of
Solesmes, who focused on the oldest available medieval manuscripts, and by scholars in
the Cecilian movement, who favored sources compiled after the Middle Ages. These two
viewpoints were fused into the Graduale Romanum to create a comprehensive historical
perspective. To support this position, this thesis traces historical events and conflicts
leading up to the publication of the Graduale Romanum. It also compares the Graduale
Romanum with its most immediate source, the 1895 Liber Gradualis by Solesmes,
focusing on the Propers of the four Sundays of Advent. Analysis of the differences
between the two reveals that the Graduale Romanum closely resembles medieval
manuscripts and reflects Renaissance and nineteenth-century sources to a limited degree.